Sodexo signs MOU to shape employee landscape for more inclusive world

In a move to expand its growth opportunities in India and achieve a revenue growth target of doubling by 2025, Sodexo has signed an MOU with the Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) under the NSDC umbrella and the India Skill Development Initiative by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, India. The partnership aims to provide employment opportunities to frontline workers in the food and catering, as well as facilities management sectors, marking a significant step forward for Sodexo.

Sodexo was represented by Annick de Vanssay, Chief Human Resources Officer, Sodexo Group, Anusoorya Themudu, SVP HR, Sodexo APMEA and Sambit Sahu, Managing Director, Sodexo India; while THSC was represented by their CEO, Rajan Bahadur and DDUGKY by their senior leadership team during the exchange of MOUs. This event is a positive step in the direction of hiring and training people in frontline roles to nurture inclusive growth in the economy. Sodexo currently hires ~7000 frontline staff annually through these agencies and envisions creating additional 20,000 first-time job opportunities by 2025, powered by the MOU.

“To meet our ambitious growth targets of doubling our revenues by 2025, we will strengthen these partnerships with THSC and DDUGKY, work on a curriculum and training modules to develop job-ready talents for our business requirements in India and Middle-East. Our major thrust will be on core manufacturing sector and technical jobs, culinary talent which faces acute manpower crunch. We will also enable training and skilling of culinary talent through a structured skilling program,” said Pradeep Chavda, Director, Human Resources, Sodexo India.

Sodexo is widely acclaimed for its favorable employee policies in India. The company offers unique initiatives like Advance Salary and micro-loan facility, which enables the marginalized communities and low-income workforce to meet their immediate needs, and supports talent attraction and retention. There is also a flexi-work policy for frontline roles. 30% job roles are carved out for women in frontline roles, while special roles are tailored for the People with Disabilities, victims of domestic violence and transgenders. Male employees are encouraged to refer their spouses demonstrating support for family hiring in addition to the attractive referral incentive scheme. The company is always reiterating its objective to offer a more welcoming experience to the staff to engage, energize and improve their productivity.